Process of making sign hooks



May 28, 1929. J. NELSON PROCESS OF MAKING SIGN HOOKS Filed Oct. 25} 1927 Inve nZZ'r, JahnNelson;

Patented May 28, 1929.

JOHN NELSON, 0F BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

PROCESS OF MAKING SIG-N HOOKS.

Application filed ()ctober 25,1927. Serial N0.'228,573.

This invention has for its object the effecting of an improved method of manufacturing sign hooks designed to be driven in between the bricks or stones of a wall for holding signs consisting of a driving portion having a laterally projecting ear; and to this end 1 provide a line of mechanism by which a slender rod is first cut to length and its ends bent out; then the latter is transported over a heating furnace, followed by like lengths, until the terminal bends are red hot; then transferred to a mechanism whereby these red hot ends are pressed or stamped into the shapes desired; then carried through a furnace until its middle is heated red hot; then transferred to a mechanism whereby the red hot middle is compressed and severed to produce two pointed sign hooks; and finally discharged into a receptacle adapted when a predetermined weight has been received, to notify the attendants.

1n the drawings forming part of this specification, Fig. 1 is an elevation of a line of devices for carrying the process into effect. Figs. 2 and 3 are perspective views of the two kinds of sign hooks to be produced. Figs. 4, 5, 6 and 7 illustrate several steps in the process.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 8, a sign hook consists of a driving portion or spike 1 and a laterally projecting ear 2 near the upper end,

' the upper end or head 3 being flat and at right angles to the longitudinal line of the spike.

In the production of-these sign hooks, a length of metal. rod, preferably of bar iron similar to the driving portion 1 of the hooks, is fed to the punch 5 and by it out to lengths slightly over twice that of a hook, and at the same time the ends thereof are bent at right angles, as shown in Fig. 4. From this punch or press, these blanks 6, as they may be termed, are delivered to the endless carrier chains 7 of a furnace 8 heated by gas jets issuing from feedpipes 9 below the ends of the blanks. The bends 10 of the blanks being thus brought to a sufficiently high temperature to suitably soften them, the terminally red hot blanks are delivered to a second punch or press 11 adapted to force the bends 10 into ears 2, so that the blanks will take the form shown in Fig. 5.

These blanks are then delivered to a second furnace 12 whose gas piping 9, and thejets of flame issuing therefrom, are beneath the midlengths of the blanks. These midlengths becoming heated to a suitable softening temperature by the time they have been moved by the carrier chains 7 to the opposite end of the furnace, are then delivered to a third punch or press 13 by means of which the midlengths of the blanks are given a compression or constriction which not-only points each sign hook by tapering them on all four sides, but severs one from the other and produces two thereof from a single blank; as in Fig. 7.

From this punch or press 13 the completed sign hooks descend into a receptacle 14 sup passing the'blank through heat affecting its Y midle'ngth alone, and finally compressing-the midlengthto separate the two halves of the blanks into two pointed sign hooks.

2. The process of forming sign hooks, consisting in bending at right angles both ends of a suitable length of metal rod; passing this,

blank along in the range of two rows of flame spaced to affect said bends alone, the perlod of such ourney being suficient to bring said ends to approximately a red heat; shaping said bent ends into cars; passing the blank to affect its midlength alone, and finally compressing the midlength to separate the two halves ofthe blank into two pointed sign hooks.

8. The process of forming sign hooks, consisting in bending at both ends a suitable length of bar iron, passing this blank through heat affecting said bent ends alone; shaping said bent ends into the ears with which said sign hooksare to be provided; passing the vention, I have hereunto set my hand this 24th day of October, 1927. I

JOHN NELSON.

along through similar rows of flame located 

